5 reasons to follow the phases of the Moon

As an astrologer, I often talk to people who struggle to put faith or trust in the universe that we live in.

“How can a bunch of rocks flying around in space have any influence on what’s happening with me right now?”

But Earth is one of those “rocks.” We are constantly moving through the energies of the universe, too. And that’s really what I look at astrologically:

The Moon and the planets all represent different themes and energies that are available to us, and that can influence us. It’s all part of the environment that we live in.

And the environment does affect us, whether we aware of it or not. If you had to choose between spending afternoon in a quiet park versus sitting on a bench beside a congested city street, do you think you would get the same benefits from either experience?

Probably not – one might help you feel calm and centered. The other might make you feel stressed and over-stimulated.

Working with the energies available to us is as simple as being aware of what our environment has to offer us, and whether we want to work with what’s out there.

And that’s what it’s like to work with the Moon. The Moon has been a central figure in spirituality, mythology, and folklore for thousands of years. It is Earth’s closest neighbour, and our planet’s only natural satellite, thought to have formed 4.5 billion years ago.

While we are still learning much about the origins of our universe, scientists currently believe that the Moon is the result of an impact between Earth and a large planet.

Think about that for a second: A satellite’s job is to transmit information. If we look at the Moon from a magical, spiritual, and metaphorical sense, then what kind of ancient wisdom might it offer to us? The Moon’s energy is old.

Think of all the changes it’s witnessed throughout time. Think about all of the knowledge it can help us uncover if we just start paying attention. Here are five reasons to start following the phases of the Moon:

1. The Moon is already affecting you, anyway.

The Moon orbits around the Earth once every four weeks, moving through eight different phases throughout that time. This takes it through its waxing and waning phases. Waxing is when it’s growing towards fullness – or gaining power – and waning is when it’s shrinking back down again in the second half of its cycle.

The Moon’s energy ebbs and flows, just like ours. While we might not always connect the two, our energy levels might increase as the Moon grows towards fullness, and we might feel more depleted when the Moon is a thin, waning crescent at the end of its cycle.

Knowing how these phases affect your energy levels can help you to gain a better understanding of why you might be feeling revved up one week and burned out the next.

2. The Moon can help you to become more self-aware – and self-awareness is the key to taking control of your life.

In astrology, the Moon connects to your soul, your instinct, and your intuition.

How often have you gone against what feels right for you? How often have you felt out of synch with the rest of the world – whether it was with your family, friends, or colleagues?

It’s easy for us to lose our own sense of timing in this world, because there are so many systems and expectations in place to keep us on track – the only problem is, it’s not always the track we need to be on.

Learning to follow the Moon can help you to understand yourself better. It can help you to explore why you feel the way you do sometimes.

3. It helps you to become more purposeful with your time.

The Moon can also help you to be more proactive in the way you plan your time. “Planning your day turns into living your life,” to quote Danielle LaPorte, and I couldn’t agree more.

A New Moon, or a waxing Moon, is considered an ideal time to start a new project or initiative. A waning Moon can be an ideal time to let go of something that’s no longer serving you.

You might be thinking, “But what difference does it make? Can’t I just start something whenever I’m ready?”

Sometimes we have to work with what we’ve got: Other people’s deadlines and schedules can certainly affect our own plans.

But what about the things that matter to you? The Moon goes through constant cycles of death and rebirth – death as it shrink back into the darkness with after fullness, and rebirth as it begins a new cycle again. It’s about creation and destruction.

What do you want to create for yourself, and what do you want to move on from? You can look at upcoming Moon cycles to see what kind of special timing you can work out for yourself.

Remember, this is about energy. When we pay attention to the natural rhythms of life, and how they affect us, we can begin to live intentionally. We can bring in new purpose and new magic into our lives.

4. The Moon can help you get unstuck.

We live in a time where the pursuit of hard, cold, rational, scientific facts have completely disconnected many people from just trusting in their own inner compass. Following the Moon and learning to set intentions by it helps us to reconnect to ourselves and the natural world in which we live.

If you are in a rut, or are unsure how to implement a big change in your life, let the Moon inspire you to think purposefully about your time and how you would like to use it.

For example, a New Moon might become a deadline for yourself to start writing that novel you’ve always talked about. A Full Moon might become a launch date for your new business.

A Last Quarter Moon might be a time to say goodbye to a dead-end job and any fear or insecurities that have kept you there.

When you open up to the idea that we live within a world that is much bigger than purposefully, you are taking a small step

5. The Moon can help to restore your faith in yourself.

Following the Moon means staying aware of the types of actions or intentions you might want to make at certain times.

For example, there is one New Moon each month, which can all help us move toward a new beginning. You might not want to start 12 new things within a year, but perhaps you want to start one per season and line them up with a New Moon in the winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Boom! You have the makings of a new path.

And when you start looking at what you’re able to take within your own hands, you begin to believe in yourself more. You find yourself in fewer ruts. That feeling of being stuck starts to look a lot more manageable.

If you’re ready to learn to live by the Moon, my MOON MAGICK class begins on Monday, February 19.

This is an in-depth online program that will give you exactly what you need to know to start working with the Moon.

Can’t make it to a live class? No worries! All sessions will be recorded and sent out within 24 hours, you can catch up on anything you’ve missed.

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Liz Worth, tarot reader, astrologer, and author

Offering tarot and astrology readings, as well as classes, workshops, and more.

“I felt very at comfortable with Liz straight from the start. She takes a lots of care and holds the space with ease throughout the reading. Liz’s reading is very intuitive and was completely on point with what was going on and what came up soon after. I would highly recommend Liz to anyone who’s looking for more clarity or insight into any aspect of their life.”
-Carlyn Burchell